1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Paris OlympicsUS election 2024Israel-Hamas
Judges at Germany's constitutional court
Image: Uwe Anspach/AFP via Getty ImagesImage: Uwe Anspach/AFP via Getty Images

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court (BVG, or Bundesverfassungsgericht) is the country's high court, its main task being judicial review.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Police officers in Mecklenburg-Lower Pomerania

German top court: Surveillance law 'partly' unconstitutional

The case is seen as a bellwether for the fate of similar laws in other states.
Law and JusticeFebruary 1, 2023
Bayern München Markt Coronavirus

German court: Keeping large stores closed 'unconstitutional'

A German state court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to keep only large stores closed because of coronavirus.
PoliticsApril 27, 2020
Speedometer showing speed in excess of 180 kph

Berlin drag racers sentenced to life in prison

Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for a second time after killing a pensioner in an illegal car race.
Law and JusticeMarch 26, 2019
Ramstein Air Base

US drones stir controversy in Germany

The Ramstein air base is often a diplomatic headache for Germany, especially when it comes to weaponized drones.
CrimeMarch 14, 2019
The victim's car was flung 70 meters down the street on the night of the illegal car race

Berlin boy racer convicted of murder breaks silence

Three years after an illegal car race in Berlin ended in tragedy, one of the perpetrators has broken his silence.
Law and JusticeMarch 5, 2019
Cocaine from boxes of bananas

Charges in banana crate cocaine case

It could turn out to be one of the largest cocaine trials in Germany's history.
CrimeFebruary 12, 2019
Shadow of two people fighting

Living next door to malice

Sometimes loving your neighbor as yourself is hard - especially in Germany.
CultureOctober 26, 20186 images
Gelsenkirchen court

Lawyer for Sami A. urges speedy return

The lawyer for a deported Tunisian man suspected of being Osama bin Laden's bodyguard insists he be returned to Germany.
CrimeAugust 24, 2018
Oskar Gröning in court

'Bookkeeper of Auschwitz' to start jail sentence

Former Nazi guard Oskar Gröning's bid to suspend his sentence has been rejected by Germany's Constitutional Court.
Law and JusticeDecember 29, 2017
Refugees Germany

Refugee helpers sued for helping refugees

Refugee helpers who guaranteed the living costs of Syrian refugees are being forced to pay back costs by job centers.
Law and JusticeDecember 12, 2017
Deutschland Prozess nach Panzerkauf für Kunstprojekt

German man sentenced for importing tanks for art

The tanks were later revamped with rainbow paint for an anti-war art project by designer Harald Glööckler.
Law and JusticeDecember 12, 2017
Refugees

German asylum cases soar five by times in past year

Germany's courts struggle with a rise in the number of asylum court cases of nearly 500 percent in the past year.
PoliticsNovember 2, 2017
Dogan Akhanli

Dogan Akhanli and the magic of solidarity

German-Turkish writer and Recep Tayyip Erdogan critic Dogan Akhanli spoke to DW about his experience in jail.
PoliticsOctober 19, 2017
Donkey in a field in Hessen

Owner forced to pay up after donkey bites car

Police think he may have thought the car was a carrot.
CrimeSeptember 28, 2017
Erich Honecker

Erich Honecker's arrest: 25 years later

From the throne to jail: Erich Honecker was hunted, homeless, exiled and jailed in his last years of life.
HistoryJuly 29, 2017
People clamber up stairs at the 2010 Love Parade disaster in Duisburg

Love Parade trial so big it needs giant hall

More then seven years after a devastating stampede, 10 people will be criminally tried.
Law and JusticeJuly 24, 2017
Black and white photo showing alleged NSU members Mundlos, Zschäpe and Böhnhardt

NSU victims' families sue Germany over probe errors

The families of two men murdered by a neo-Nazi group are suing over mistakes made by authorities in the investigation.
CrimeJune 18, 2017
Augsburg Prozessbeginn Zen-Priester Missbrauch

Augsburg: Buddhist priest admits to child sex abuse

The abuse, which took place over a period of ten years in southern Germany, involved boys aged 4 to 13.
CrimeJune 16, 2017
Deutschland Gericht verkündet Urteil im Niklas-Prozess

Suspect acquitted in fatal beating of 17-year-old Niklas P.

The violence of Niklas' death in a well-to-do suburb on the Rhine threw the case into the German national spotlight.
Law and JusticeMay 3, 2017
Niklas P. Bonn Bad Godesberg Trauer Kerzen Abschied

Dramatic twist in Niklas court case

The trial of the main suspect in last year's killing of 17-year-old Niklas near Bonn has delivered a major shock.
CrimeApril 25, 2017
Deutschland Illegales Autorennen in Berlin Mordprozess eröffnet

Life sentence for Berlin car racers

Berlin's regional court has convicted two men of murder after killing a 69-year-old motorist in an illegal car race.
Law and JusticeFebruary 27, 2017
Köln Urteil gegen acht Männer aus der Salafisten-Szene

German court sentences church robbers to jail

Although some were linked to the Salafist scene, the court found no ties between the men and the "Islamic State" group.
Law and JusticeJanuary 30, 2017
Deutschland Zugunglück bei Bad Aibling Bergungsarbeiten

Bad Aibling dispatcher handed jail time

The dispatcher has been given over three years in prison for negligence leading to the deadly Bad Aibling train crash.
CatastropheDecember 5, 2016
Deutschland Klage gegen RWE - peruanischer Bauer Saúl Luciano Lliuya

Peruvian farmer sues RWE

A case brought by a Peruvian farmer against RWE for its alleged contribution to climate change starts today in Germany.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 24, 2016
Schleswig-Holstein Prozess Schutzstatus syrischer Flüchtlinge

German court approves second-tier asylum

A German state court has ruled that Syrian refugees are not necessarily entitled to full asylum.
Law and JusticeNovember 23, 2016
Silvio S. entering court in Potsdam

Potsdam court jails boys' murderer

A German court has sentenced Silvio S. to life imprisonment for murdering two young boys, one of whom was a refugee.
July 26, 2016
German Moderator Günther Jauch and his wife Dorothea Sihler-Jauch

German TV host loses wedding photo fight in EU court

The ECHR has rejected a complaint from TV presenter Günther Jauch and his wife over an unwanted report on their wedding.
June 16, 2016
An illustration picture shows deportation stamps which are used by the German federal police "Bundespolizei" to stamp ID documents of rejected asylum seekers

More refugees suing BAMF for lengthy asylum process

The number of asylum-seeker suits against Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has risen sharply in 2016.
June 11, 2016
Two arson suspects stand trial in Germany for setting fire to a refugee house in Altena

German fireman admits to refugee house fire

A fireman and his friend have confessed in court to starting a fire in a house where several refugees were sleeping.
May 31, 2016
One of the suspects in the kidnapping and killing on Anneli enters court in Dresden

Trial begins for murdered German teen Anneli

The trial on the kidnapping and murder of 17-year-old Anneli-Marie has opened in Dresden.
May 30, 2016
A chick rests on a human's hand

German court allows mass culling of male chicks

A court in Germany has ruled that the practice of slaughtering male chicks does not violate animal protection laws.
May 20, 2016
OLED TV Samsung

Samsung faces German data snooping court case

Samsung faces a Frankfurt court for allegedly infringing privacy and data protection laws with an Internet-enabled TV.
May 18, 2016
Frank S., the alledged attacker of Cologne mayor Henriette Reker sits in court in Düsseldorf

Suspect confesses to stabbing Cologne mayor

The man accused of attacking Cologne mayor Henriette Reker has confessed to stabbing the mayor with a hunting knife.
April 22, 2016
German male nurse Niels H. stands trial for murding his patients

German nurse suspected in 24 patient deaths

A male German nurse has been accused of killing dozens of patients over the years with a potent heart drug.
April 13, 2016
Unemployed line up at a job center in Germany

Benefits limited for EU foreigners in Germany

A European court has ruled that Germany does not have to grant social benefits to EU-foreigners upon arrival.
February 25, 2016
Oskar Gröning

Survival at Auschwitz unimaginable

Former SS officer Oskar Gröning has told a German court he "could not have imagined" Jews coming out of Auschwitz alive.
April 23, 2015
Federal police officers checking passports at Frankfurt International Airport. Photo: Marius Becker dpa/lhe

Racial profiling slammed

A German appeals court has ruled against police in a case of racial profiling, saying officers broke anti-discrimination law. Human rights groups have applauded the verdict, saying police must now change their practices.
October 30, 2012
Turkish soldier stands under the Turkish flag

Turkey's Political Fight

A Turkish prosecutor's attempt to ban the ruling political party drew sharp rebukes from Germany.
March 17, 2008

Beate Uhse Loses its World Cup Buzz

Bad news for German soccer fans: Olli K. and Michael B. will not be bringing pleasure to supporters during the World Cup. And as for England, their fans can forget about any buzzing performances from a certain David B.
May 25, 2006

Joschka Fischer Gets Ready for his Close-Up

On April 25, television history will be made in Germany when the parliamentary committee investigating the visa affair lets the cameras in on its grilling of Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
April 15, 2005

DaimlerChrysler Wins Kerkorian Court Case

April 8, 2005

Germany Wins Court Case over Communist Millions

April 8, 2004

DaimlerChrysler Faces U.S. Court Case

November 24, 2003

Court Cases Bring Nazi, Stasi Crimes to Life

The past has bubbled up again this week in the trials of three men accused of murder. One, a 93-year-old Nazi officer, the other two, commanders in East Germany's secret police.
May 10, 2002

Chasing Human Traffic

Accusations in a German district court shed light on a brutal trade in humans that deeply involves this country and haunts Europe. Interpol estimates that worldwide trafficking in humans generates $19 billion per year.
April 4, 2002